


Steal My Crown

by queenoni



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, F/M, Fantasy, Revenge, Royalty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25245631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenoni/pseuds/queenoni
Summary: Elena has lived all her life on the outskirts of the kingdom. Upon learning that she is supposed to be the ruler of the kingdom and that her throne was stolen decades ago, she takes it upon herself to regain her crown. Will she find love? Will she succeed? Find out here!
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue - Stories of the Past

"Elena, Amaya!" cried a frail woman sitting on her bed of straw. It was nearly as big as her room itself and as dirty as the floor. The ceiling above her was damaged from water, but Guinevere decided it was better than the sky. She sat impatiently. How long should it take for two little girls to run across such a small house as theirs?

"Elena!" she cried with more force. She heaved a breath of satisfaction as she heard the footsteps of two young girls scurrying to her door. In walked Elena, wearing tattered rags, once a violet dress now worn down to an ugly brown cloth that was a bit too small. Her brown hair was styled in a single braid down the side of her chest and her eyes were older than her years, though she was just eight years old. Behind her walked her younger sister, Amaya, in a dress that fit her better and retained more of its reddish color. She had her blonde hair in two braids on either side of her head. Her eyes reflected the actual innocence of a seven-year old-girl.

"Mama, what is it?" asked Elena, a look of worry on her face. She cocked her head at the sight of her mother, who smiled down at her. Elena walked a few steps closer to her mother, cautiously, as though she was afraid.

"Sit, my darlings. I have a story to tell you," Guinevere told the two. They both obediently sat on the floor in front of her and looked up at her intently. Amaya seemed almost excited about what was coming, while Elena was more hesitant. Guinevere knew what she was going to tell them would be a lot to put on two young girls, but she was sick and weak and did not think she would live much longer. Her children needed to know her story before she would not be able to tell it.

Guinevere smiled. "I was once as young as both of you. A long, long time ago." Amaya's eyes widened, while Elena retained her expression. Their mother had never really revealed anything to them about their childhood. "I had my mother and father and two older brothers. My mother's name was Elena, as is yours," she said, glancing at the older of her children. "My father, your grandfather, was named Aurthur, as was my eldest brother. The younger brother was named Casper."

Amaya nodded along to the story, while Elena thought the story was standard enough so far and sat expressionless.

"My family lived in a palace in the middle of Avadain," she continued. At this, Elena perked up in disbelief. There was no way her mother, who lived only with her two children on the very outskirts of the kingdom of Llenzaia, could have possibly lived in its capital, much less in a palace.

Guinevere smiled at Elena's bewildered face. "It's true, I promise. I would never lie to you both." Elena's disbelief did not subside, but Amaya seemed wholly convinced. "My father and mother were the king and queen of all of Llenzaia." At this, Elena rolled her eyes and scoffed, but kept listening nonetheless.

"We were peaceful, good rulers who put our citizens first. All my time in the palace was spent when I was very young, so most of what I remember is the luxury I had. For the most part, I remember happy moments, wonderful food, and kind servants." Amaya nodded along as she spoke.

"What I didn't notice was how some of his councilmembers were conspiring against my father. My father and his allies noticed, though, but they couldn't really take any action. They may have been conspiring, but there was little to no evidence that they could use to get rid of them. They'd been all voted into their positions and it'd cause outrage if they were fired without apparent reason." Both Elena and Amaya sat on the edge of their seats in anticipation. Guinevere sighed and looked down.

"And that was it. One day, my father was the king of the most powerful kingdom on the continent. The next, my entire family was dead, and some evil conspirator had stolen the throne. Only I survived." She looked back up at her bewildered children, tears welling in her eyes.

"How did you get out, mama?" inquired Amaya, asking what both she and her sister were wondering.

"Well, as soon as my nanny learned of the commotion, she grabbed me and ran. We left the palace through the servant's area, somewhere the conspirators did not look. I'm sure they thought I had just been lost in the commotion. I was only about eight, after all." Elena looked intrigued, while Amaya seemed uncomfortable at the thought of her mother dying.

"Afterwards, she took me to the very outskirts of Llenzaia and left me in a village she thought I would not be found. I never saw my nanny again. I was taken in by a family that had been desperately trying for a girl for years. I grew up with their five children, and ended up marrying the second youngest one, your father, Samuel." Guinevere smiled as she remembered her now-dead husband.

"I misbehaved so much while living with them. I hated it so much. I had lived in a palace all my life with wonderful parents and siblings, and suddenly everything I had was gone. Of course, I eventually adjusted to my new life, but I did not enjoy it," Guinevere continued, reminiscing on how her life used to be.

"What I want you two girls to learn from this story is the truth about our family. How the throne that would have belonged to my eldest brother was stolen by the man who sits on it now, who's pushed families into poverty, spent lavishly on himself, and pays no regard to the public good when making policies. How the throne rightfully belongs to you two, the last of the royal lineage. How your last name isn't Lockhart, but Galanthiel, and that one day I hope you will regain your rightful place as the ruler of this kingdom." She looked at Elena, the older of the two, as she said that. She knew it was highly unlikely Elena would ever even see the inside of the palace walls, but a small part of her hoped that she could perform a miracle and reclaim what was hers.

Elena thought through the story to herself. How likely was it? Was there any chance that her mother was telling the truth? She knew that there had been a palace uprising way before she had been born, as it was common knowledge in the kingdom, but she never thought her mother could have been involved.

Her mother sighed and closed her eyes. She lay back down on her bed. Elena noticed how weak Guinevere was getting these days. Why would she even wait until now to tell her this story? It was nearly inconceivable that Elena could be royalty. However, her mother had never lied to her, and Elena's trust in her had never wavered.

Elena Galanthiel. She quite liked the sound of that.


	2. Chapter 1 - A New Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena's journey begins in this chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for checking out my story! Make sure to read the prologue beforehand.

Elena Galanthiel stood in front of the palace, clutching two pieces of paper. She admired the palace made of beautiful marble and intricate gold-colored deigns. It was grander and more beautiful than anything she had seen before.

The first paper Elena held was a letter from her sister that she had received about a week after arriving in the capital of the country, Avadain. It read:

_My dearest sister, Elena,_

_I wish you luck with your new job in the castle. You may be starting off as a kitchen maid, but I know you will reach great heights. Do not lose sight of your goal._

_All the best,_

_Amaya G Lockhart_

The "G" Amaya had included as her middle initial was a silent nod to her true last name, Galanthiel, that she could not reveal to anyone. She didn't want to risk being found out as one of the last surviving members of the true royal family. Elena decided to keep the letter from her sister close to herself. She folded it and placed it in her dress, a new one she had bought a few days prior in preparation for her job in the palace.

Ever since their mother had died ten years ago, Amaya and Elena had grown closer than ever. They had to work as hard as they could to not only sustain themselves, but to also make a plan to get their kingdom back. They did whatever they could to earn enough money for transportation to the capitol.

After that, getting an interview to be a maid at the palace wasn't too hard, considering the pay wasn't actually that good, and there was a lot of work. Most of the people who worked there did so for the free lodging, or because they thought it would give them a better social status.

The other piece of paper in Elena's hand was a set of instructions sent to her by the man who would oversee her work in the palace, Timothy Smitt. It read: _Take the door in the Southwest corner of the palace. Show the guards this paper. Find Timothy._ Simple enough.

She folded the note from Timothy as well but kept it in her hand. She smoothed down her cream-colored dress and started her walk towards the palace, flinging her single light brown braid over her shoulder.

After about 20 minutes of walking and searching for the door, Elena finally found it. She approached the two guards guarding the entrance. The guard on the left looked her up and down, a hungry look in his eyes. He leaned on the wall behind him. The other simply stared at Elena as she approached him.

"What is your business here?" asked the more serious guard as the other subtly licked his lips. Elena put a sweet smile on her face and approached the serious one. She handed him the folded note in her hand.

The guard skimmed the note over multiple times. "Go through this door and take a right. Timothy should be in the kitchen with the rest of the maids," he said while handing her back the note. She took it and walked through the door, an enthusiastic expression plastered on her face. The guard on the left followed her in with his eyes, but Elena ignored him.

She followed the guard's directions and took a right after passing through the door. She came across a large kitchen and peeked inside. It was bustling, many maids walking around, cleaning dishes and glasses and whatnot. She set her eyes on the one man in the room, assuming he was Timothy Smitt, the man she was looking for.

She rushed over to him, nearly bumping into at least two maids on her way over. She stopped right behind him and waited for him to finish talking to a short, sweet-looking maid and turn around to see her. After seemingly an eternity, he turned to face her.

"Mr. Smitt?" asked Elena sweetly with a smile that reached her eyes. Timothy Smitt looked her up and down, a slightly confused look on his face. After a moment of realization, his face hardened to a sterner expression.

"You're the new maid, aren't you? Elena?" he inquired. Elena nodded enthusiastically. He gestured at the woman he was talking to. "She will help you get situated. You start right away. There's a lot to get done," he explained curtly, before promptly walking away to tend to other matters, not even giving Elena enough time to respond.

Elena turned her attention towards the maid, who smiled at her. "I'm Reeve! And you're Elena, right?" Elena nodded, and Reeve started swiftly leading her out the kitchen through a hallway. She kept talking through the walk. Elena thought her speech was almost too fast to understand.

"I've been working at the palace for almost two years now. Most maids that come through don't even last six months, but you look tough." She looked back at Elena briefly, who was trying her best to look like she was listening. "I bet you'll be able to last even longer than me." She continued to talk until they reached their destination: a worn-down door leading to a small room. Elena and Reeve stepped inside.

"You don't talk much, do you?" asked Reeve, walking away from her. She got on her knees and started rummaging through a large box toward the back of the tiny room.

"I suppose not, I prefer to keep quiet most of the time. Keeps me out of trouble," chuckled Elena. Reeve stood up and smiled, handing her a barely-stained apron from the box.

"This was the cleanest one I could find. Keep it, it's yours now. I'll show you to where you'll be sleeping when we're done with work. Let's head back now, those dishes won't clean themselves!" exclaimed Reeve, speed walking back to the kitchen with Elena in tow.

The day passed excruciatingly slowly, and Elena was exhausted by the end of it. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with a relatively dry cloth before throwing it in the sink she'd been cleaning at. The kitchen was nearly empty since most of the maids and cooks had finished their work and left, but Reeve had stayed behind to help her.

Elena sighed and turned around to see Reeve smiling up at her. "You're all done, then?" she asked sweetly. Elena nodded, too tired and annoyed to say anything more. Reeve saw her exhaustion and smiled sadly. "Well then, let me show you to where you'll be staying." She turned on her heels and walked out the door, Elena following just a few steps behind.

The walk was quite a bit further than their last one, but Elena had her thoughts to occupy her. She started to have her doubts about her plan.

Elena and Amaya had initially planned for her to befriend someone of high enough social status to get close to the royal family. After doing so, she'd take any chance she had to kill them, by whatever means necessary. However, at this rate, her best bet was to somehow poison food that was served to the royal family. Maybe it was time to get some information.

"Hey, Reeve? The food the chefs make in our kitchen, where does it go?" Elena asked innocently, interrupting whatever Reeve was going on about.

Reeve made a funny face. "You mean, who does it get served to?" Elena nodded."Well, the kitchen we work in makes food for the guards, mostly. There's one other kitchen that prepares food for the royal family and their inner circle, but it's very exclusive to only the best chefs."

Elena tried her best to hide her disappointment. It seemed poisoning wasn't in the cards if she couldn't physically access the food she needed to contaminate. Honestly, Elena should have expected this; of course the king and queen would have their food well guarded, especially considering their rule was pretty controversial. Elena was back to square one and felt that she might have to use the original plan she had made with Amaya.

After a while of walking, Reeve finally stopped at a set of doors. "We all sleep in these rooms." Reeve led Elena into a rather large room filled with beds lined up in a row with chests at their ends. "This is the room I stay in. There's plenty of vacant beds; you can pick whichever one looks empty. There are showers down the hall, and you can get some food near there too."

Elena nodded and walked further, thinking that she was too tired to get any food. She decided on a bed near the edge of the room. After reaching the bed, she sat down and looked around. It was such a relief to rest her legs after a long day of standing. There were five, maybe six other women in the room, a few of them conversing with each other. She tried not to look at Reeve, who had sulked over to what looked like her bed.

Elena almost felt guilty. Reeve had shown her kindness throughout the day, and Elena had basically ignored her, except for when she wanted information. She shrugged it off and got ready for bed, opening the chest at the end of her bed and finding a robe to sleep in. She placed the letter from her sister in the bottom of the crate, beneath her dress and apron.

Maybe she'd be kinder to Reeve tomorrow, or even try to be her friend.

Maybe.


	3. Chapter 2 - Remember Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elena's journey in the palace continues. She remembers her own past and learns more about Reeve's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for checking out my story! Hope you enjoy chapter 2.

Elena lay in her bed, tossing and turning. Her hair was a mess, and she was uncomfortable. Though she tossed and turned, she couldn’t seem to find a comfortable position. She eventually gave up and threw the blanket off herself, staring up at the ceiling, her robe slightly moist from her sweat in a few places. 

Elena let her mind wander in hopes of taking her attention off how stifling the room was. She started wondering about how she would kill the king. Poisoning wouldn’t work, or was at least extremely unlikely. The cold, emotionless way she was acting wouldn’t help her either. She’d probably need to be more amicable, or at least less rude. Elena put her thoughts of killing the king out of her mind; it wasn’t helping her sleep in the slightest.

Elena thought of less stressful topics. She realized how much she missed Amaya, and how spending just over a week without her sister had been so detrimental. She longed for the one person who could make her smile, make her genuinely laugh, make her feel safe.

Elena shut her eyes and thought about her childhood, trying to remember happier times.

_ Amaya ran across a field with a small white flower in her hair. She was wearing it down instead of in her usual two braids for the first time in as long as Elena could remember.  _ _ Amaya had just turned eleven on that day and wanted to have some fun with Elena.  _

_ The sun was nearing the horizon. Elena was a bit concerned about this, as she wanted to have light to walk home by, but she ignored her worries and tried to have fun with her sister.  _

_ The pair ran around for about an hour, playing various little games to pass the time until the sun set. Amaya ignored Elena’s pleading to head back and kept playing, eventually tripping on a rock and falling. _

_ Elena ran over to Amaya, who was now on the ground with tears streaming down her face. She crouched down to see where she was injured and saw a steady stream of blood coming down her knee. _

_ “Oh, Amaya,” sighed Elena, wiping off the blood with her own dress. She’d have to clean both her dress and the wound when they reached their house again, but it’d be harder now that Amaya was hurt. She crouched down next to Amaya and gave her a hug. _

_ Amaya was a bit surprised at this. Elena rarely showed anybody affection; she maintained a stoic appearance for the most part. However, Amaya could feel Elena’s love in her hug, and it was enough to take the pain away. She wiped her tears and stood up shakily with Elena’s help.  _

_ The two hobbled home slowly. Elena supported her sister on her shoulders until they reached their destination. After cleaning the wound, she put Amaya in her bed and sat by her until her breathing slowed and evened out. Only then did Elena get up to wash her dress. After all, Amaya came first. _

Elena couldn’t help but smile fondly at her memory. It helped remind her how much Amaya meant to her. This was one of the reasons she refused her help at the palace.

_ “Please, please Elena! Let me come with you! I don’t want you getting into trouble!” cried a distraught, frustrated Amaya. Elena paced throughout the house to try and find all the money she could. _

_ “For the last time, Amaya, it’s too dangerous. I won’t have you in any sort of peril,” she grumbled, pulling out the new dress she bought for the journey ahead and putting it in a bag. _

_ Amaya stomped her foot. “It’s not fair. I want to help you! Let me help you!” She grabbed Elena’s hand. “ _ Please _ , Lena, I’m begging you.” _

_ Elena dropped her bag and took both Amaya’s hands in hers. “Maya, please. I’m doing this for your own safety. You stay here, and I’ll be back before you know it, after I kill the king.” Elena knew this last part was a small lie. She didn’t expect to make it out of the palace after killing the king; she’d probably be executed on the spot. Nevertheless, her goal was to exact justice, and that was what she was going to do. _

_ Amaya pulled Elena into a hug. “I believe in you, Lena. You can do this.” She pulled back to look at her, smiling. “Go get your crown.”  _

_ Elena nodded, grabbed her bag, and walked out the door. _

Elena held back tears at this memory. It was among her most painful ones. Having to leave her sister was one of the hardest things she had ever done, but she’d done it for a reason. 

Elena filled her head with more pleasant memories and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of her determined, pure-hearted sister.

\--

Elena awoke to the sensation of being shaken. She opened her eyes and looked up to see Reeve above her. She was holding Elena's shoulders and shaking her gently so as not to startle her too much.

“G’mornin, sleepyhead!” Reeve smiled widely. “You’re a tough one to wake up.”

Elena sat up and groaned, rubbing her eyes. Reeve was already dressed with her apron on. “Wh-what time is it?” she grumbled.

“Time to get up! Change, grab some grub, then we can go to the kitchen together!” Reeve walked away from Elena’s bed and through the door, probably heading to get some food. Elena forced herself out of bed and changed into her dress, pulling on her apron sluggishly. She rubbed her eyes once more and walked out the door in the direction that Reeve went. 

Elena walked past a few maids before arriving at a medium-sized room. Inside, she could see a few tables and a large basin filled with some sort of food and small bowls beside it. Elena walked over to the basin and ladled some of whatever was inside. It looked like oatmeal, but it was thin and didn’t look very appetizing. She grabbed a spoon and looked around the room.

Elena suddenly felt tiny. She was in a strange place with nobody she knew and realized she didn’t have anybody she knew to sit by. She tensed up. Her usually tough and calm demeanor was reduced to that of a scared little girl. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Reeve waving to her happily.  _ Thank the Gods _ , she thought, as she walked over to where Reeve sat alone. Elena sat across from her and smiled. She thought about how there maybe  _ was _ a benefit to having friends.

\--

Reeve and Elena walked to the kitchen together. They made small talk, though it infuriated Elena. She found small talk annoying and useless and thought it would be much more interesting to talk about topics that were actually meaningful. Nevertheless, Elena wanted to work her way up in the palace, and she guessed she had to start somewhere.

After what Elena thought was way too much boring conversation, Reeve and Elena arrived at the kitchen. They walked in and immediately got to work. The kitchen wasn’t as busy as the day before. Elena assumed it was because the workday had just begun, and some of the maids hadn’t even arrived yet.

At around lunchtime, Elena received some bread. She stood with Reeve outside the kitchen, quickly eating her meal. She wanted to break the silence while also finding out more about Reeve.

“What brought you to the palace, Reeve? Why’d you start working here?” Elena looked at Reeve expectantly. Reeve looked down and cleared her throat before looking up at Elena again. 

“Well, I never really had all that great of a family. My parents had four kids, and I was the second oldest. The youngest two died very young, and my oldest brother died three years ago, when I was fifteen, after he got caught up in some illegal dealings.” Elena realized they were both the same age. She waited for Reeve to continue. 

“My parents started to ignore me. They spent their time drinking, doing drugs, and spending all our money on gambling. I left shortly after that when I was 16, and I’ve been here ever since.”

Elena stared at Reeve, whose eyes were now fixed on her face, waiting for a response. Elena was surprised that Reeve would tell her something so heavy, but she supposed Reeve didn’t really have many friends to talk to. 

Elena smiled softly at Reeve, whose face lit up. This was the most genuine affection Elena had shown to her in the time they had known each other, or to anyone she’d known for such a small amount of time for that matter. Elena decided she should probably be kind to Reeve; she’d had her own grievances and deserved better than how Elena had been treating her. 

The pair finished their bread and walked back into the kitchen. They were quiet. However, the silence wasn’t stifling or awkward, but comforting and reassuring. 


End file.
